Karine Laudort Settling into isolation can take some adjusting. You may have made it your mission to clear up your home, detox or gain a new skill! You may also have money on your mind and want to start thinking about ways to generate income. Millions of people worldwide have seen an impact on their jobs, whether its reduced hours, different working patterns or losing work entirely. It is a difficult time but do not fret, we have you covered. In this article, we explore ways in which you can increase your revenue streams during lockdown.
1. Use your creativity
If you are planning to spend time on a craft and make something new. Do not let not being able to go to the shop stop you, you can get materials delivered to your doorstep. Whether you want to create with yarn, wood, paper or recycled materials that you have in your home. You can make so many things from home such as jewellery, bags, clothing, home décor, toys and art. Be creative and enjoy the process! If you find that you’re creating something people will buy, there are lots of places to set yourself up as a seller. Start by checking out:
These websites focus on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. In the past, most crafters and artisans sold their goods in person at fairs, open markets, and on consignment at local shops. While the Internet opens its doors to reaching consumers beyond their local area and providing platforms for sellers to sell their goods. Or if you’re not looking to start a business and just want to show your items off, setting up a Facebook page or Pinterest board are also great free ways to get your crafts in front of people.
2. Freelance Writing
This quarantine is a time to use your skills and put more energy into your craft. If you have writing skills and creative talent, it is possible to get paid to create online content. Figuring out a niche, networking with people who might hire you, and delivering high-quality content 100% of the time, will allow you to develop as a freelancer. Sites such as Upwork.com can connect you with top talent agencies around the world. These freelance writing job boards where you can upload your work can improve your confidence in writing and earn yourself some cash.
3. Sponsored Posts
If you have a platform, whether it is a blog or a large Instagram following, you can earn an income from including sponsored content. Social media sites such as Instagram is an outstanding platform for brand awareness and creating your own brand identity. Creativity is essential to create posts, videos etc that can go viral quickly and enhance the brand value. Through social media, influencers are thought leaders who generate conversation, drive engagement, and set cultural trends.
Companies are willing to pay bloggers and social media influencers to promote their products and services. Audiences are more receptive of social media influencers than celebrities which have increased their power and resulted in brands being eager to work with them. If you enjoy creating content, put time and energy into your posts and you will see the benefits. The great thing about social media is it allows you to interact with your followers and gain insights and opinions, which is the most motivating thing to continue and improve. Remember to stay relevant and work on your passion to gain recognition and some extra cash.
4. Vintage items
When clearing drawers and shelves, we all have those vintage items that we have received from family members in bygone years or bought at boot fairs. With sustainability being of great importance now more than ever, the reselling of clothes is a fun and easy way of making money whilst being environmentally conscious. Overtime resale and secondhand shopping have been on the rise due to the Instagram generation who want to be seen in new outfits constantly and also be sustainably conscious.
“Shopping ethically has often been perceived as a luxury, because of the price points…The good news is that we now live in the golden age of secondhand shopping.”
– Elizabeth Segran, Fast Company
Apps such as Depop have been curving the way for reselling your old high street purchases, vintage gems and even designer goodies. This social media app-cum-resale site has allowed sellers to make six-figure sums from their pages. The new, techy way to snag a bargain and maybe find your holy grail of clothes. Or if you’re just looking to exchange your old clothes for cash check out Vintage Cash Cow and they offer a free home collection service during isolation.
5. Use your screen time productively
If you’re spending excess time on your phone or other devices why not use some of this time to make a little money? Surveys are an obvious and popular choice. Although they don’t pay that well, it allows you to be able to dip in and out, without commitment. It’s easy and you already have all the resources right in front of you, the most important thing, your opinion. Be careful to pick legitimate sites and ones that don’t waste your time and pay very little. Try YouGov, Prolific, LifePoints and Swagbucks as a starting point.
Some sites will even pay you for watching videos so if you have some time to kill, try Gift Hunter Club too. Or if you want an even easier way to earn cash, just changing your browser to Qmee.com! Make your random bored searches during isolation worthwhile.
6. What’s in your cupboards?
Find items worth selling in your home and put them on sites such as Ebay and Gumtree. It sounds great doesn’t it, uncluttering your cupboards while earning yourself some money, but there’s a fine art to the process of selling online. Be realistic about what items are worth, price them too high and they won’t sell. The key to selling clothes is to make sure you describe the item in lots of detail and take lots of photos, close up shots and the clothes being worn if you can. Books are also a good thing to resell online and clear up some cupboard space, I know for those book lovers it can be difficult to part with some books. But if you are looking for a new read and want your book to go to a loving home use BookMooch. You can swap your books with others. Invest time in taking quality photographs in good lighting to show off your items. As a seller, you need to be responsible about the sending, ensuring you adhere to social distancing at the Post Office.
Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are also handy. You may not make as much money as most people buy locally. Facebook Marketplace is a digital marketplace within the social media platform to allow the users to buy, sell and trade items with other people in their area. Think Facebook-meets-Gumtree. All transactions take place outside of the app and are not considered in any legal sense to be Facebook’s responsibility.
7. Cash in your leftover foreign currency
Everyone can get involved with this, whether you are a frequent traveller or not, it is likely you will have found bits and pieces of currency lying around. It is all worth something so go rummage around in your draws and find the unwanted money that was too small to change up post-trip. Look no further than Bidwedge, they are changing the way people are exchanging currency. You create a free account, state the amount of currency to Bidwedge and the agreed amount will be paid directly into your bank account. There is no additional feed, postage is free, and all transactions are insured.
Use this time at home to rethink your working time and make some extract income during isolation. While maybe honing in on your old skills or perfecting new ones, make and create in a fun and safe way.
Guest contributor:
Shon Alam is founder of Bidwedge. Bidwedge makes it easy to change your left-over cash currency back into Sterling – at great rates for even the smallest amounts. Just enter the amount, see the rate you’ll be paid, post the cash and watch the money appear in your bank account. It’s easy to do.
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